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Heishiro was born the fourth son of a farmer in Bizen, Japan; but after many years of seeing his homeland ravaged by war, he decided to become a samurai. After his parents' death in his 14th year, he took a sword and the name Mitsurugi. He went to train under the powerful warlord of the Murakami clan. At this time, Japan was in the middle of the Sengoku Jidai or "the age of the country at war" in which the feudal lords or "daimyos" attempted to claim the title of Shogun.

Mitsurugi was a powerful force on the battlefield, and rumors of him spread like wildfire, heralding him as the warrior that could mow down foes like fields of wheat, and he was noted by Uesugi Kenshin and Oda Nobunaga as a great warrior. He received numerous military commendations and eventually reached the rank of commissioned officer in the Japanese armed forces. But all along, his only true desire was a worthy opponent.

After leaving the Murakami clan, Mitsurugi continued to fight in every war in Japan as a hired mercenary. It was during this time that he had learned of a new weapon that was said to be changing the way wars would be fought: the rifle. He originally dismissed this weapon as a novelty, but he soon learned that it was capable of obliterating the Takeda cavalry at the Battle of Nagashino. He sensed that the arrival of the rifle in common warfare would put him out of business. He decided that the only way to combat with this was to find a stronger weapon: the enchanted sword of legend, Soul Edge.

Unfortunately, Mitsurugi was unable to find any trace of the legendary "Hero's Sword" on his quest and began taking tasks that were largely meaningless to him in order to pass the time. One of these involved guarding a nearby castle for the night; and another of which involved aiding the Spanish Marquis Andre's force in laying siege on Sir Stefan's Ostrheinsburg Castle. In his frustration of finding no signs of Soul Edge, he returned home and challenged a man wielding the rifle Tanegashima to a duel, trying to prove that he didn't need Soul Edge to beat the rifle. However, he suffered an embarrassing defeat in front of his lord, leaving him with a scar of a gunshot wound and forcing him to depart in shame on a second quest to perfect his swordsmanship so that he might eventually defeat the rifle. It was during this quest that he learned of the Azure Knight, Nightmare, who terrorized Europe with a sword deemed invincible. Nightmare's trail eventually disappeared, but Mitsurugi was unwilling to give up, after returning from his quest Mitsurugi challenged Teppou Hei again, but this time Mitsurugi managed to kill the man with a single strike with his katana.

Four years later, Mitsurugi stumbled upon the trail of Soul Edge while visiting a castle in Xiwei (present-day Xi'an), where a mysterious dying man, after being saved by him from a gang of assassins, handed him a shard of the cursed blade. Although skeptical at first, Mitsurugi accepted the gift. Soon afterward, an incident occurred in which a servant of the Emperor of Ming marched to the castle, demanding the "Hero's Sword," and was slain when he refused to leave without it; Mitsurugi sensed that war was coming, but Soul Edge meant nothing to him. He had crossed countless battlefields, defeating every conceivable enemy, even those with rifles. What had once been his greatest enemy was none of his concern, as it no longer proved to be a threat. His only concern was with finding an opponent stronger than himself.

It was at this time that he was suddenly attacked by unknown forces, but he fought off all of his attackers quite easily. They were after the fragment the man from Xiwei had given to him; and judging by their outfits, they appeared to be ninja, with a sword technique he found strangely familiar. They reminded him of his nemesis Taki, who had interfered every time he had drawn close to the Soul Edge. His thoughts drifted, wondering what was happening in Japan at that time, and whether or not he could have a final showdown with Taki. He decided to return to his homeland.

By this time, the powerful daimyo of Owari, Oda Nobunaga, was dead. Betrayed at Honnoji temple by his retainer, Akechi Mitsuhide, the other daimyo were now faced with the decision of whether or not to align with his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Murakami clan in particular, with whom Mitsurugi stayed upon his return, refused to join with mainland Japan, choosing instead to protect their existence as fierce pirates and rulers of the sea, but their resistance caught the attention of Hideyoshi, and a final stand was about to ensue.

Since Mitsurugi could find no trace of Taki, he decided to aid the Murakami in the battle. A nighttime raid commenced. The ships clustered together and rode the tide in to charge the enemy fleet - the traditional secret strategy of the Murakami. The battle began, and Mitsurugi stormed enemy ships like a hurricane. This combined with the Murakami's naval prowess allowed for swift victory, and Mitsurugi was decorated for his service, gaining an invitation to meet with the Murakami commander. The commander engaged him in long conversation, mentioning rumors of a warrior clad in azure armor appearing from the west and boasting the strength of a god. Mitsurugi looked up in surprise, realizing that this must be Nightmare, whom he had lost track of before.

Mitsurugi bade farewell to the Murakami and ran to a nearby port, giving all of his reward money to a boatman, demanding that he be taken west. He needed neither money nor fame, only the satisfaction of a fierce battle in which his very soul would clash against his opponent's; and that battle, he concluded, would be found in Nightmare.

Mitsurugi searched for many powerful warriors from all over the world. But no matter how many enemies he fought and how powerful he became, he still hungered for more. He gave up searching for the legendary sword because he figured that no matter how powerful a weapon, it's useless if one doesn't have the strength to match it.

However, after he defeated some assassins that were looking for information about Soul Edge, he remembered the fragment of the evil sword that he had. He was about to throw it away because he felt that he didn't need it, when suddenly, the fragment had an unholy glow, and then it flew into the sky, heading west.

With anticipation, Mitsurugi followed, hoping to find both Nightmare and Soul Edge. He also heard rumors that the land before him was filled with terror, and horrible monsters and insane warriors were gathering. These stories didn't scare Mitsurugi, however, in fact, it excited him. This was a challenge that seemed worthy for him.

Ever-searching for a worthy adversary to test his skills, Heishiro Mitsurugi journeyed to Ostrheinsburg; there he entered a chaotic alternate dimension and faced the Hero King, Algol, high atop a colossal tower. The two warriors clashed when suddenly Algol disappeared, along with the tower and all their surroundings—a dimensional convergence had warped Mitsurugi back to reality before the duel could be decided.

Some time later, rumors of a great conflict back in Japan reached the wandering swordsman—a power struggle that would determine who would rule the entire country. Mitsurugi raced back to his homeland, but it was too late. The battlefield at Sekigahara was deserted. The war was over.

While most of Japan would enjoy the ensuing era of peace, thousands of master less samurai found themselves out of favor and out of a job. With no money to continue his travels, Mitsurugi resigned himself to a quiet life as a farmer.

Then, one day, he happened to encounter a group of soldiers, freshly returned from a tour of duty abroad. The men spoke of a great sword, so mighty that even now they only dared whisper its name: Soul Calibur.

One mention of the Hero King's sword is all it took. Mitsurugi's lust for battle returned in an instant, stronger than ever.

"Algol! I'm coming for you..."

The samurai sold his entire harvest and secured transport on the first boat to the continent, seeking an end to the duel that had begun 17 years prior...

Mitsurugi comes across the player and Cassandra, having heard rumors that the former defeated Nightmare. Wanting to test his might, he challenges the player to a duel but loses. Mitsurugi acknowledges the strength of the player, but senses hesitation. He gives advice for them to rid of that hesitation and reach their highest peak of strength.

Mitsurugi has only one goal in mind: To seek out the strongest warrior and challenge him/her to a duel then become the strongest warrior in history. He is never satisfied at the opponents he defeated in battle. Aside from being cocky, Mitsurugi is the kind of a person who sticks to his words; he's not all show. Being a ronin, he fights with honor and kills his opponents in an honorable fashion, and several of his endings reveal that he has a moral side. He believes that true strength lies within a person and not from the weapon. He is considered a neutral character.

Mitsurugi realizes that Soul Edge is evil and destroys both swords. He decides to challenge a rifleman to a duel... Unlike the other characters' endings, the player controls Mitsurugi in a first-person view. The goal is to evade shots from the rifleman and slash him down.

Bad Ending: If the player fails, Mitsurugi gets shot. He is seen standing in an open field and decides that if he's going to defeat rifles in battle, he's going to need a stronger weapon. He then sets off on his quest again.

Good Ending: If the player succeeds, Mitsurugi defeats the rifleman with a fatal strike of his blade and realizes that his weapon doesn't matter. He then decides to start training again, holding his katana to the sky.

After countless battles, the demonic blade Soul Edge was in Mitsurugi's hands. En route back to his homeland, pirates attacked him on the high seas. Mitsurugi was completely surrounded by the bloodthirsty pirates. He smiled without fear as he looked down the barrels of their guns and murmured...

Mitsurugi: I've had enough of duels... you're just what I need to try the blade of my new sword...

This was the last that anyone heard of the lone samurai known as the "Mercenary of Wartime Age."

Input Ending: Mitsurugi runs up to the man and kills him, freeing the woman. Three more soldiers run up to Mitsurugi, and the camera focuses on the moon as sword strokes are heard. When the camera pans down, the three samurai fall as Mitsurugi goes to leave, with Soul Calibur in his left hand. As he walks away, he says "If you're going to kill me, you'd better bring a whole army!"

No Input Ending: Mitsurugi runs up to the man and woman, but is stopped by a surprise attack from Taki. Mitsurugi ignores the man and woman, and now focuses on Taki. "That Soul Edge in your possession, it's time to hand it over." Taki commands. Mitsurugi replies by saying "If you want it that badly, come and take it by force!" He then jumps at her with his Soul Edge in his left hand, as the scene pauses and turns to sepia tone.

Mitsurugi stabs Algol once more, destroying the power of the sword. Algol commands Mitsurugi to take his power as well, and use it however he'd like. "I don't need it." Mitsurugi says, as he puts his sword away. "Weapons are just tools. True strength lies within me." As he begins to walk away, Algol mutters his last words: "Well done."

The text-only epilogue reveals this: The date of death is unknown, and he won countless fights. He kept proving throughout his life that he was the best, and even now his name never fades.

Mitsurugi's fighting style is one of the easiest, fastest, and the strongest fighting styles in the game. He displays incredible strength in most of his attacks. His low attacks are arguably the best in the game and some of them can be chained to make a combo. His kick attacks are mediocre in strength but they are speedy too. Mitsurugi can also switch stances that wait and counterattack an opponent. While in these stances, he can use several of the many Attack Throws that can easily catch his opponent if not expected. His weakness however, is that some of his attacks are predictable even though they are fast and damaging. Also, he is criticized for having few moves and his strong attacks are frequently used so the opponent has a chance to counter these attacks. However, Mitsurugi is placed between mid to high-tier by Soulcalibur fans.

Mitsurugi appears in Tower of Lost Souls, appearing only once on the Ascend path but appearing a few times on the Descend path. He appears as a sub-ordinate in "Envoy of Destruction" as a difficult opponent to defeat, mostly because of the computer attempting to K.O. the player characters using multi-button presses mixed with combos.

The castle owned by Noto Murakami and the Settouchi Pirates (also called the Mori Sea Force). This castle is built on the whole island, and act as a port and a barrier in the seas. It also supplies pirate ships between raids. Mitsurugi comes here seeking a boat to the mainland.

Mitsurugi's stage in Soulcalibur, and based on the real-life Siege of Takamatsu, orchestrated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi after he constructed a 3-kilometer bank around it in order to stop the flow of water and produce a flooding. Mitsurugi, as a trusted mercenary on the base of Mori's Murakami Navy, was assigned the defense of the castle during the conflict. The stage consists on a wooden raft amidst battle, with the castle as background and flaming arrows constantly flying around.

Mitsurugi's stage in Soulcalibur II, situated in Xiwei at the west border of the Ming Empire. It is said to be a vital stronghold for the Empire's keep of the western territories. As explained in Xianghua's profile, the castle was attacked when the Emperor believed the castle was hiding Soul Edge. The stage is shared with Xianghua for the same reason.

Mitsurugi's stage in Soulcalibur III. The stage resembles slightly his Soulcalibur stage, albeit this one is set atop a half-sunken battleship amidst a naval battle. As said in his game profile, the stage shows one of many sea battles held between the Murakami Navy and Hideyoshi's Kuki forces. It is said that the Murakami started with the advantage, but were eventually pressed back and defeated.

Mitsurugi is the only character to have an official playable appearance in every Soulcalibur game to date.

In both the Tekken and the Soul series, Yoshimitsu borrows some of Mitsurugi's moves as well as Mitsurugi borrowing one of Yoshimitsu's moves from Tekken. It can also be noted that although Yoshimitsu is supposedly a ninja, he portrays a military samurai, just like Mitsurugi portrays a ronin samurai. On another note, in Tekken 2, Yoshimitsu's tachi closely resembles the one that Mitsurugi uses in Soul Edge. Also, if Mitsurugi loses in Soul Edge, his losing animation is him sitting down Indian style and banging the hilt of his sword on his knee, Yoshimitsu does this same exact thing in Tekken 2 if he loses when time is up.

Mitsurugi's facial build greatly resembles that of Kazuya Mishima from the Tekken series.

Yuri Lowell of the Tales series has Mitsurugi's costume as an alternate outfit.

Mitsurugi, along with Taki, is a playable character in Namco x Capcom.

Mitsurugi's joke weapon is always a wooden katana (bokken). It is possibly another reference to the fact that Mitsurugi is based off of Miyamoto Musashi, as Miyamoto was famous for always using bokken in all of his duels.

Despite his appearance in every game, he has yet to encounter Soul Edge in the series canonical story. However, his story for Soulcalibur V confirms that he did encounter Soul Calibur in his fight with Algol.

His proud and reckless attitude made him similar to Paul Phoenix from the Tekken universe. Ironically, both of them are frustrated for not being able to reach their objectives.

His fighting style change from Tenpu-Kosai-Ryu-Kai (Kai for improved) in Soulcalibur IV to Shin-Tenpu-Kosai-Ryu in Soulcalibur V. This likely means he has mastered the "true" version of his style.

With the exception of Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur IV (in which, his arena and theme are shared with other characters), Mitsurugi's theme musics had always shared some traits. These traits are heard in Soul Edge at at 0:50, in Soulcalibur at 0:40, in Soulcalibur III at 1:47 and in Soulcalibur V, 0:41.

Misturugi's primary weapon have been changed throughout the Soul series. His first weapon was Korefuji in Soul Edge, then Shishi-Oh from Soulcalibur to Soulcalibur IV, and finally to Muichimonji in Soulcalibur V.

It can be assumed that Mitsurugi was originally intended to be the main character, as he appears the most prominently in concept art and the character selection screen.

Mitsurugi has the Kanji for "Tiger" (虎, tora) written across the back of his haori.

In the version 2 arcade edition, Mitsurugi's ending illustration wasn't replaced and it was originally taken from Hwang's ending illustration, except with the textures of an ending.

Mitsurugi and Hwang were very similar with the exception of a few attacks. In later games, both characters were given new attacks, but Hwang ended up keeping most of the ones that both had used - this is most likely because Seong Han Myeong was also given these attacks (although he naturally matched Hwang more so than Mitsurugi) so it made more sense to keep these attacks as Hwang's. Mitsurugi fights quite differently in the "Calibur" games when compared to Soul Edge.

Mitsurugi's backstory is strikingly similar to Toshiro Mifune's character in The Seven Samurai (Kikuchiyo), including that he was raised by farmers that were killed, became a swordsman, has a cocky and angry yet funny demeanor, and earned the title of a true samurai by his valor and fighting prowess.

The Soul of Mitsurugi discipline is available to created characters of the Samurai class.

In his ending, Mitsurugi can wield Soul Calibur and Soul Edge simultaneously - this can be done by selecting Soul Edge as his weapon for the Tales Of Souls mode, and choosing Soul Calibur in the quicktime event. As he faces off against Taki, he will pull both out.

Mitsurugi is featured in a short movie with Darth Vader. The two of them defeat a few enemies individually, and then they confront each other. They draw their weapons and begin to fight. After a while, they clash their weapons, and Darth Vader says to Mitsurugi, "You are powerful. But now you must be destroyed!" The movie ends, as the two of them still have their weapons in bladelock. The movie takes place outside of Algol's tower. Their relationship appears to be a reference to Toshiyuki Morikawa's status as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Japanese dubs of Star Wars.

Archenemy of Setsuka, who seeks revenge against him for the death of her master ever since Soulcalibur III. Shared a Destined Battle with her in Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV. According to his Japanese profile, it is stated that he defeated her by stunning Setsuka with a punch, but lost his katana Shishi-Oh in the battle.

In Volume 2 (Act.11), Mitsurugi makes his first appearance in the sake shop. He comes in and is rewarded with free drinks after he settles a disagreement between some other samurai customers and the shops' proprietor, the latter of which couldn't afford to pay for their drinks. Since Mitsurugi appears in front of them, they began to attack but were countered by Mitsurugi's "Reverse Edge".